Over the weekend of October 20-22 it was my honor to attend the 365 State Convention in Indianapolis along with 79 students and 22 adults from East Side.

Hip-Hop artist and Christian speaker, Joseph Sojourner challenged listeners to boldly trust God as they journey with each other on the road of life. He compared the wide road and the narrow road, calling them the wide side and the wild side. Many were challenged to step out in faith and to pursue God with passion and intentionality.

Let me tell you three stories where I saw that happen over the weekend.

1. Praying

During the Saturday afternoon service one of our young men named Noah noticed students along the wall of the convention center sitting by themselves. He felt God nudging him to go pray with these students. He asked me if that would be a good idea, and together we went and prayed for people all over the convention center.

After the service we talked about how great it was to follow what God called us to do. Noah then let me know that he felt like he needed to go talk to the band. I didn't think anything of it, but was surprised to see him moments later praying over the guitar player, then moments after that circled up with the worship leader.

Later that day during the evening service he came up to me and let me know he and a friend had found the speaker in the hallway and prayed over him as well. When the speaker got to the stage, he gave a shoutout to Noah and Gaven for praying over him before the service.

2. Feeding the Hungry

Sunday morning I received a call from our 12th grade ladies who had been felt God calling them to step out on the wild side. They decided to put their faith in action by taking food to people they encountered on the streets of Indy. This was a big step of faith for them and God taught them a lot during the process. They are eager to find more ways to live out their faith back in Anderson.

3. Taking Leadership

Two of our students Abbey Cowin (senior) and Mason Fridley (junior) were on the planning team for this year's 365 convention. Both were given the responsibility of helping plan and put on the weekend. They were also each responsible for breakout sessions that happened on Saturday morning. On top of that, two more of our students, Jessie Bull (junior) and Jeremy Gniffke (sophomore), were selected for next year's planning team. I can't wait to see the great ideas they come up with for next year's convention.